Underneath the nail, there is often a white arc-shaped trace, which is the half-moon mark, also known as the small sun, the crescent. Some people believe that the crescent represents the body’s essence, reflecting the health of the human body, also called it the “circle of health”. So how many crescents do you have? How many crescents can really reflect the state of health of a person? A. How are the crescents formed? First of all, let’s understand what the nail is all about. The nail, scientifically known as the nail plate, is made up of nail matrix that keeps making new keratin cells and keeps the nail growing to form the nail plate, which is usually called the nail. The growth rate of the nail matrix is decreasing from the center to the sides, this “manufacturing base” to produce new keratin is white and bright, the new keratin into translucent nail time is the same, so that the formation of an arc of white and translucent junction. If the white arc is just exposed, it is the crescent. So a “crescent” is just a nail that is not fully keratinized. How many crescents do you have? Do you have 2 crescents or 10 crescents, or none at all? Why is it different from others’? In fact, if you know the process of crescent formation, you will understand that since everyone has different metabolic efficiency, when you have one more or one less crescent, it is just a normal change of body metabolism, it is just a different growth rate of nails, you don’t need to compare the size and number of crescent with others. Some people have small crescents, either because the nail matrix is congenitally backward, or because the nail epithelium grows thick and wide, covering more of the nascent nail, or because the nail growth rate is slow (it is natural, not caused by disease), the crescents are not pushed out. 3. Is there a relationship between the number of lunulae and health? A crescent is a natural part of the nail growth process. Its size is related to the position of the nail matrix and the speed of nail growth. The first thing I did was to find out if there were two patients with advanced tumors and metastases, both elderly women, and I paid attention to them because I wanted to write this article, they both happened to have 8 crescents, which is quite a lot. Fourth, when do I need to pay attention to how many lunar teeth? Since Dr. Su said that the crescent has nothing to do with health, is it not necessary to pay attention to the crescent? The answer is also: NO! If the crescent suddenly turns from very little to very large, or vice versa, it may indicate a sudden slowing down or speeding up of metabolism, which can still reflect some health problems – your thyroid gland or other places have problems! For example, hyper- or hypothyroidism can affect the metabolism and thus the size and number of lunar teeth. In addition, when you are seriously ill or malnourished, the nail matrix does not get enough nutrients to make keratinocytes, which may also make the crescent teeth disappear. As you get older, your body’s metabolism gets slower and slower, and your meniscus gets a little smaller compared to when you were younger. A word of caution: your crescent becomes very different from what you used to have! Not that your crescent is different from others. When there is a change in yourself, you need to pay attention! Five, about the crescent, what is the correct understanding of the end? After saying a lot, the summary is as follows: the crescent, is not fully keratinized nails, its number and size is a natural phenomenon in the process of nail growth. You can’t reflect the state of health through the crescent alone, and you can’t call it a circle of health that reflects the state of health. A person’s health is reflected in all aspects of the body, and the nails (including the lunula) are no exception. The changes in the crescent itself are also largely related to one’s own metabolism and can reflect certain physical conditions of the individual. It is important to note that certain diseases are reflected on the nails, but one cannot infer whether or not the body is suffering from any disease just by the changes in the nails (or the crescent)! It is important to understand the effectiveness of nail diagnosis and treatment of diseases. It is still not the same as what is usually said.